20 BJP leaders resign from their posts in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri over local panel inductions

Days after BJP MP Arjun Singh rejoined the Trinamool Congress, at least 20 saffron party leaders in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri have tendered resignation together from their party posts, accusing the district leadership of taking money in lieu of inducting members in a local panel, a party functionary said on Wednesday.

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The dissent leaders, including party's Jalpaiguri district general secretary Amal Roy, claimed that those who had worked for the saffron brigade and fled their homes due to the post-poll violence in the state did not get a place in the newly formed Maynaguri South Mondal committee.

Roy alleged that the posts of the local panel have been handed out in lieu of money to those who were inducted into the party recently.

"The dissent leaders have submitted their resignation letters to the district chief," he claimed.

When contacted BJP's Jalpaiguri district president Bapi Goswami refused to make any comment on the allegations.

The development came weeks after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to West Bengal, had advised the BJP state unit to strengthen the party organisation in order to put up a fight against the ruling TMC.

BJP's state unit spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya denied the allegation of members being inducted into the local committee in lieu of money but admitted that there are "differences of opinion in the organisation".

"The party will look into the matter and the problem will be sorted out soon," he said.

Notably, Jalpaiguri is a stronghold of the BJP as the party bagged four of seven constituencies in the district in the last assembly elections.

Singh had on May 22 rejoined the state's ruling party.

One of the prominent Hindi-speaking leaders of the TMC, Singh had joined the saffron camp ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, and went on to win the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP in the state has been fighting hard to keep its flock together after former Union minister Babul Supriyo and five legislators, including national vice-president Mukul Roy, switched over to the TMC since the assembly poll results last year.

Several senior TMC leaders like Rajib Banerjee and Sabyasachi Dutta, who had joined the saffron camp, too, returned to the Mamata Banerjee-led party.